ABSTRACT
KALEIDOSCOPE is the name of an initiative introduced in 1996 under the European Communities’ cultural policy. The programme intended to promote contemporary artistic creativity, encourage the training and mobility of young artists in all cultural areas, and support innovative cultural events with a European dimension, as well as seeking to encourage greater public awareness of Europe’s cultural heritage. Although most of the activities that the programme financed were rather small-scale and amounted individually to a maximum of ECU 50,000, there were a number of larger projects such as the European Community Youth Orchestra and the European Capital of Culture. In 2000 the Culture 2000 framework programme, which was to run until 2004, replaced the previous activities of Kaleidoscope and aimed to implement a new approach to cultural action. Culture 2000 was given a total budget of €167m. for the period 2000–04. (See also Ariane; Raphael.)
